Hero's Instinct
by CatX3
Summary: Fluffy Link/Zelda Oneshot. Post OoT Universe. It doesn't matter how minimal the situation may be, he is always at the ready to protect his princess. Cover image belongs to angelofhapiness on DA.


**Haven't done a Oneshot - or _anything_ in a while. Well, that stops now. I declare this hiatus...OVER!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda in any way shape or form, all rights go to the official owners. **

**Enjoy. =)**

The bright, warming sun shone down through the leaves on the two content hylians. It was a beautiful day; the breeze was gentle, not a cloud in the sky. No birds were chirping, and the only sound they heard was each other's soft breathing.

Sitting comfortably on a thick tree branch, high above the grassy plains, was Hyrule's most famous couple: Princess Zelda and Link, the legendary Hero of Time. Of course, right now neither one was caring of those gaudy titles. They were simply enjoying the peace that they had fought for all those years ago, and no town folk noisily observing their every move.

Zelda's head rested in the crook of his neck, her eyes closed and her lips curved into a blissful smile. Beside her, leaned up against the trunk of the large tree, sat Link, playing his shimmering blue ocarina. One of his legs were drawn up to his torso, the other draped carelessly over the edge of the branch they were perched on. His eyes were also shut, sometimes fluttering open and admiring the beautiful young woman next to him.

He whistled out one final note, holding it long and smooth, until it slowly faded away, and his song ended.

Almost immediately, Zelda stirred slightly. She moaned quietly as she shifted to her side, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and cuddling closer. "Why did you stop?"

A light chuckle escaped the young hero's lips. He laid the ocarina onto his lap, overlapping his hand with hers silently.

"I'm tired," He whispered. "Let's just..."

His words melted into a pleased sigh as the princess snaked her fingertips onto his cheek, tickling him softly. She ran her gloved hands through his messy, blonde hair, gradually moving her touch up inside his green, floppy hat.

Suppressing a giggle, Zelda stared at him dreamily as his head tilted to the side and he breathed heavily. His hat slid down little by little, covering his eyelids and continuing until just under his nose. His mouth opened slightly, a sure sign that he was falling asleep, and one of his cutest habits Zelda loved so much.

Unable to resist any longer, she leaned closer to him and stopped when they were just inches apart, reveling in the way his breath lingered with hers. She crawled overtop of him, pressing her body against his and closing the space between them.

Instantly, Link's eyes shot open in surprise, his words muffled by her lips pressed against his. But soon afterword, he closed his eyes again and grinned in satisfaction. He lifted his rough hand to her delicate face, brushing his thumb across her cheekbones affectionately.

"Link..." Her grip tightened on him, and she let herself slack into his strong embrace. He gladly obliged, wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling into her long, golden locks.

To the dismay of the both of them, they separated for fresh air. Gazing at each other lovingly and both their eyelids slightly drooped, they were in ecstasy.

A little blush decorated Link's muzzle as Zelda purred his name again, this time her hands reaching to the collar of his white undershirt. She tugged at the buttons until the first two were undone, her innocent smile turning into a devilish smirk.

She stroked his cheek gently, looking up at him with her eyes narrowed. Their noses still touching, Link's face reddened significantly at the seductive glint in her eyes. He let out a nervous laugh and glanced away shyly, taking her hands in his then going in for another kiss.

_Snap_

Pausing suddenly, both their eyes opened wider. The cracking noise continued, sounding from under them and behind them. They turned their heads to the tree trunk in worry at what it was leading to, and gulped in realization at a sudden jolt from their sitting structure.

There was another jerk, and Link began to fall backwards. He yelped, arms flailing wildly and attempting to grab onto another branch. Zelda, after a quick gasp, moved to pull him back up. But with more pressure leaning towards one side, the branch tipped, throwing Link off completely.

He yelled as he plummeted into the water of the moat, a tremendous splash erupting from where he landed.

"Link!" She squealed, getting more and more panicked when he didn't resurface right away. Then he burst out of the water, his tunic now a dark forest green and his damp hair sticking to the sides of his face.

After regaining his senses from the icy cold stream, he shook his head and looked back up at Zelda. She called down to him. "Are you alright?"

Bonking the side of his head and knocking a good amount of water out, he offered a reassuring grin. "Yeah, fine."

Then a look of terror overcame his features, and he shouted up at her again. "Get down from there, Zel! It can break off completely anytime!"

She tensed visibly at his warning, clinging to the tree worriedly. Link's fearfulness for her safety kicked in at her scared expression, and he began making his way to land.

"Hang on, I'll be there in a second!"

Just as he was climbing up the edge of the water, the snapping noise was heard again, and he whipped around at full attention.

Above him, the branch still holding Zelda was slowly breaking under her weight. "Link!" Her voice was etched with fright as she yelled his name, causing Link to switch into defense mode.

His eyes shaded over with a look of determination and bravery.

Just as the branch fell completely, the princess tumbling towards the river and screaming the whole way, Link dove back in and swam to where she was headed. He held his arms open expectantly, and she landed directly into his waiting embrace with a splash.

From the sudden impact, they both fell under the water with force. Link kept his composure, holding onto her hand tightly and leading her back to the surface.

When both were above water and breathing again, Link immediately held her out in front of him, examining every one of her features quickly. "Zelda, are you okay?"

She coughed into her palm, using her other hand to brush away her wet bangs from her forehead. Her lips was stuck out in a pout, and her eyebrows were furrowed in annoyance.

Then her lips curved upward into a cheerful smirk, and she began unexpectedly shaking with laughter. "I'm fine!" She splashed and spun around playfully, completely ignoring the drenched fabrics of her expensive dress. "Look at us, we're both soaking wet!"

Link watched silently as she broke free of his protective hold, dancing around and tossing handfuls of water into the air. He blinked in utter confusion, a serious expression still engraved on his face. Zelda paused when she noticed. "What's the matter?" She waded over to him curiously, and he turned his head away slightly.

"You..." He sighed, almost sounding regretful. "...could've gotten hurt."

The tone is his voice was so unlike him, it startled Zelda. Rarely he spoke in such a downcast way, he always was so light-hearted and confident.

"But, I wasn't." She took his hand in hers, leaning closer and offering a comforting smile. "It's not like it's your fault. And I wasn't in any real danger." He simply glanced up at her once. The water continued to shift around them daintily.

Finally, he mumbled almost inaudibly. "I just want you to be safe."

Zelda allowed a small smile to play off her lips. He was so sweet and protective. And he loved her, she knew, with all his heart. "Link."

His eyes flickered up at her for a moment before once again becoming downcast. She reached over and stroked his cheek, attempting to get through to him. "I'm safe."

With a sigh, Link shook his head softly. "I know you are."

She stared at him, silently urging him to continue.

"It's just..." He swallowed hard with a pained expression on his face. "Ever since we were separated that day in the Temple of Time-"

Zelda whispered his name, almost longingly, and shut her eyes at the memory. He needn't say anymore. She was already on the verge of tears just thinking about it. She remembered the quaking ground, Ganondorf's thundering voice. The painful electrical surges coursing through her body, the way Link pounded on the crystal helplessly trying to free her. Worst of all, Link's heart-breaking expression. A mix of shock, rage, fear, and sadness - all stirred together in a big vat of regret. It was written all over his face that he thought it was over, that he had failed.

Their hands had barely touched when she was ripped away from him so suddenly.

"I tried so hard to get to you." He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. "To protect you."

Link punched the water with such force a splash exploded and pushed them both backwards.

Zelda looked at him with watery eyes as his voice lowered to a mumble. "But I couldn't. I never want anything like that to happen again."

She didn't know what to say. It wasn't like she didn't know he felt this way, that he hadn't told her before. It was the way he was saying it right now. Instead of being calm and collected, he was letting his true emotions on the matter come through.

The way he spoke was just...full of love and concern. Zelda's never known anyone who's cared this much for her, who's so willing to protect her no matter the cost. She drifted away for a minute, thoughts full of how lucky she was to have him in her life. The stories she'd heard as a child about the princess and the hero, was now her reality. She had a hero, just as she had always pictured him, strong and brave and handsome. But he was so much more than that. He was compassionate and kind...

What brought her back to her senses was a sudden feeling of warmth surrounding her. She looked up to see Link had removed his outer tunic, and was now wrapping it around her small, delicate shoulders. She hadn't even noticed she was starting to shiver.

The fabric was wet, but still very soft and comfortable.

Tears slid down her face as she rushed forward and hugged him, burrowing herself against his white undershirt. She felt his hands make their way to her back to pull her closer, and his gentle breath against the top of her head.

As if reading her thoughts, he whispered "I'm your hero, Zelda. I'll always protect you".

A sob escaped her, and she raised her trembling lips to his cheek in a kiss. "I love you..."

"I love you too." He replied back tenderly as he began leading her to the edge of the moat.

**Thanks to NeverLookBack756 for beta reading.**


End file.
